Martin, Nwaba Head to U.S. Olympic Trials

Jun 19, 2012

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Two recent UCSB graduates will be competing in the 2012 Olympic Track and Field Trials, which begin on June 21 and end on July 1, and take place at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.

Ryan Martin, a three year All-American who took fourth place, and only missed third by two tenths of a second, in the 800-meter at the NCAA Championships, will attempt to qualify for that same event in the 2012 London Olympics. The standard for an "A" qualifying time is 1:46.50. Martin's fastest recorded time this year is slightly faster than that at 1:44.77. The first round of the 800-meter trials will take place on June 22 at 5:20 p.m. and will feature 32 athletes. Half of those will move on to the semi-finals the next day at 4:45 p.m. The finals will be held on June 25 at 7:47 p.m. Only eight athletes will make it that far.

Barbara Nwaba, a 2010 All-American who again received All-American honors this year after placing second overall, and first among Americans, in the heptathlon at the NCAA Championships with 5,927 points, will join Martin in Oregon. Though her score qualified her to attend the Olympic Trials, she will still need to post a qualifying score in the trials to make the U.S. Olympic Team. The heptathlon trials will take place over the course of June 29 and June 30.